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We'll move the earth for a title!Tue, 03 Mar 2015 18:18:08 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Game preview: Nuggets at Lakers Q&Ahttp://www.roundballminingcompany.com/2012/11/30/game-preview-nuggets-at-lakers-qa/
http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/2012/11/30/game-preview-nuggets-at-lakers-qa/#commentsFri, 30 Nov 2012 18:20:14 +0000http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/?p=5113The Nuggets have started their 3-game road trip with frustrating losses to Utah and Golden State in which they failed to close out games they had led by 15 or more points. The final leg of the trip doesn’t get any easier as they wind it up in Los Angeles to meet the Lakers for the first time since being eliminated in game seven of the first round of the playoffs last May. While much of the recent news regarding the Lakers has revolved around their struggles with injuries, chemistry and coaching, they remain a dangerous team loaded with All-Star talent.

To get a better informed insight about what to expect from the Lakers, Roundball Mining Company has exchanged questions and answers with Andy Kamenetzky (follow the Kamenetzky Brothers here on twitter) of the ESPN Los Angeles Lakers Index. If you’d like to see my replies to Andy’s questions, you can read them here. And without further ado, the following are his answers to our questions about the Lakers.

1. Nobody would have predicted, even taking Steve Nash’s injury into acount, that after acquiring Dwight Howard the Lakers would have a losing record 15 games into the season. Is this slow start something that will shake itself out after they adjust to Mike D’Antoni’s system, or do the problems run deeper than that?

Andy Kamenetzky: A little of both, I think. There’s no question the Lakers have flaws. The starting five is out of a video game, but is collectively old and in the case of Nash and Howard, dealing with the effects of recent injuries. The bench hasn’t rounded into reliable form. It wouldn’t kill them to add another shooter. But there’s also no question these struggles are also due in rather sizable part to the early season chaos (training camp injuries, the coaching carousel), a myriad of new faces, and Nash’s absence. It’s been extremely difficult for the Lakers to consistently form a cohesive unit on either side of the ball. Obviously, they’re not the first team in NBA history to deal with injuries and/or drama. There’s an onus on the Lakers to figure it out as best they can with the cards they’ve been dealt. Still, I figured it would take this process would take a couple of months under the best possible circumstances, and these have flirted with “worst possible” status.

2. Pau Gasol took a lot of heat after his performance in the Lakers’ loss to the Pacers, but D’Antoni came to his defense saying ” he’s a big part of what [the Lakers are] going to do.” How realistic is the prospect that he’ll be able to run in D’Antoni’s system and establish good chemistry with Dwight?

Andy Kamenetzky: I think it’s possible. Gasol isn’t a Utopian fit for D’Antoni — the coach has admitted as much — but we’re talking about one of the most creative offensive minds in basketball joining forces with one of the most multi-skilled players of his generation. I’d like to think the two can develop a positive, productive working relationship. I’ve often wondered if the template might be Boris Diaw’s role in Phoenix: A play-making big man who can create for others, work mismatches off the dribble, run the break off a rebound, etc. It’s not a true apples-to-apples comparison, as Diaw is a better outside shooter and was younger, but I do think there are legitimate commonalities. Plus, Howard is mobile enough to begin sequences in the high post, which will allow Gasol to at least begin some possessions in the mid or low post.

Then again, it’s not a perfect setup, which means Pau bears the responsibility to aggressively seek out a comfort zone, rather than wait for his coach to create it for him. Unfortunately, that kind of assertiveness isn’t Gasol’s strong suit. There’s also always a chance that with Kobe, Howard and eventually Nash alongside him, Pau simply won’t be given enough to do to truly flourish. But for the time being, I’m remaining positive that time, plus Nash’s presence, will eventually create a niche for Pau.

3. After landing three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard, the Lakers are surprisingly just 18th in defensive efficiency. What do they need to do to improve defensively in general, and what approach should we expect to see them taking in defending the Nuggets in this game?

Andy Kamenetzky: Mostly, cohesion. It’s been a nutty two months, which has impeded the team’s ability to get on the same page defensively. This problem is only heightened by Dwight remaining a step or two slow. By his own admission, Howard’s not fully recovered from the back surgery, which prevents him from being the ultimate last line of defense we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. In the latest loss to Indiana, George Hill floated a game-winner off the backboard over Howard, who’d arrived a hair late to either successfully alter the shot or block it. Before the back injury, I’d have bet the house on Howard in that situation. He’s slowly rounding into form, but not yet “Dwight Howard” as we’ve come to know him.

As for the strategy against Denver, I think the first key is containing Ty Lawson as much as possible, which begins with the defense on ball (Darius Morris or Chris Duhon, unless D’Antoni opts for a defensive cross-match involving Kobe or Metta World Peace over stretches) and ends with Gasol and Howard protecting the rim against inevitable penetration from the speedster. The Lakers will also need to be diligent about getting back in transition, especially as a team that now looks to increase tempo. From there, I think it’s all about keeping Denver, and in particular, Kenneth Faried off the glass to prevent garbage buckets and second chance opportunities. JaVale McGee and Kosta Koufos are no slouches on the offensive glass, but Faried is just plain ridiculous (and very entertaining to watch play.) Gasol has struggled at times to keep a body on the Manimal, but needs to find a way to prevent the kid from running roughshod in the paint.

4. Steve Nash’s injury has obviously been a major disappointment and setback for the Lakers after assembling their four future Hall of Famers lineup. How big of an impact will he have in improving the team once he returns from injury?

Andy Kamenetzky: Assuming there aren’t any noticeable effects from the injury, I think Nash will have a pretty big impact. He knows D’Antoni’s system as well as the coach, and no player has ever run it more successfully. With Nash in the fold, the Lakers gain a true floor general, an outside shooting threat, and a player with an unbelievable ability to find teammates in the right spot in the right time. That can only help matters. He’s obviously not a magic bullet, and work will remain at hand after his return. Everyone, Nash included, will have to adjust for the umpeenth time this season. But I do think Nash can make a serious difference. Remember, he was imported from Phoenix well before D’Antoni was in the picture. There were holes to fix, regardless of the coach, and Nash theoretically addresses a lot of those gaps.

5. It seems that many in Lakers Nation are calling for a Gasol trade. But even if — contrary to D’Antoni’s statement — the Lakers did decide to put him on the block, could they get enough talent back in return that on the balance it would improve the team’s chances for a championship?

Andy Kamenetzky: Maybe. Even if Gasol’s trade value has plummeted to the point where he won’t fetch a player close to his caliber of talent — and unless Pau picks up his play, I suspect that will be the case — it’s debatable whether the Lakers even need another A-Lister. One could reasonably argue “Star Player X” swapped for Pau would in turn find himself similarly lacking opportunities, and therefore would be an equally uncomfortable fit. Thus, two or three role players (at least one of which can shoot) to bolster the bench and add depth might actually benefit the Lakers in a more tangible way. And that may be a realistic haul for Pau, even during a down season. The guy’s still a very good player, and we’re not far removed from the London games where he flourished as “el hombre” for Spain.

]]>http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/2012/11/30/game-preview-nuggets-at-lakers-qa/feed/7Breaking down ESPN’s #NBArank of the Denver Nuggets: Part 1http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/2011/10/21/breaking-down-espns-nbarank-of-the-denver-nuggets-part-1/
http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/2011/10/21/breaking-down-espns-nbarank-of-the-denver-nuggets-part-1/#commentsFri, 21 Oct 2011 23:02:14 +0000http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/?p=2595ESPN recently concluded an extremely arduous process of codifying the NBA’s best 500 players. Our fellow TrueHoop family was highly involved in the process, sending in ballots, backing up their claims in the 5-on-5 series and explaining how certain elements weighed more heavily in their decision-making via video interviews which aired on the front page of the four-letter network’s website this past week. From our perspective — being a proud member of the TrueHoop Network — we feel entitled to give a Carmelo Anthony-like tip-of-the-hat to ourselves for all of our efforts, as ranking 500 different players is not an easy task; however, we conversely feel that it is our job to specifically analyze those players we know best, and determine if their individual Top 500 rankings are accurate in order to further understand how we can get better for next year. Including current free agents, the Denver Nuggets saw a whopping 16 players make their way to the #NBArank list. Whether they managed to land in the right spot is up for debate. In Part 1 of this series we’ll take a look at the Nuggets who landed outside of the Top 100.

No. 439: Melvin Ely

This far down the list, I think most people would be lying if they said, “Bingo, that’s the perfect spot for that guy,” because let’s be honest, whether you’d take the recently China-bound Melvin Ely, or former Nugget, Malik Allen (No. 465), at this point in time is really a toss up. Neither of these guys are going to see consistent minutes on any NBA roster, so it’s hard to evaluate who’s the better player at the moment. What we can do, however, is is look at former Roundball Big Board members, Josh Selby (No. 411), Charles Jenkins (No. 448), Jeremy Tyler (No. 441) and Iman Shumpert (No. 440) and say, “I’d definitely rather have those guys on my team than Melvin Ely or Malik Allen.” This is no slight on either Allen nor Ely, but the fact of the matter is, those two players have each already met the zenith of their respective careers while the rookies mentioned above have their entire NBA lives ahead of them. This doesn’t however take away from the fact that I found it strange that rookies were able to qualify for the #NBArank to begin with, being that none of them have played a minute in the NBA thus far.

Conclusion: N/A

No. 380: Jordan Hamilton

There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that Hamilton deserves, not only to be on this list — since rookies were deemed eligible — but to be ranked fairly high based on his production at Texas and in various competitions this summer. Hamilton finds himself ahead of anonymous NBA players like Antonio Daniels (No. 400), Samardo Samuels (No. 398) and Solomon Jones (No. 389), but behind marginally serviceable guys like Wayne Ellington (No. 364) and Pooh Jeter (No. 366). To me, this is perfectly fine. It’s subjective whether he should be ranked higher, or lower, but in the end I don’t think you can quibble too much with his position considering he beat out many other talented rookies along the way to No. 380.

Conclusion: Just right

No. 348: Kosta Koufos

To be quite honest, I was pleasantly surprised with Koufos’ ranking. It’s so easy, as an NBA fan, to hop on the bandwagon to lambaste the big, white “stiff,” without acknowledging the actual skill set it takes to make it in the NBA. I felt Koufos was undoubtedly primed for this consideration by our TrueHoop peers, but at No. 348, it appears he managed to avoided this label for the most part. As Nuggets fans, we got to see up close and personal what Koufos was capable of when he saw even the most marginal increase in playing time. Put simply: He wasn’t bad… at all. In fact, Koufos was quite impressive the last half of the season when he received extended minutes, which resulted in career highs in nearly every relevant statistical category imaginable on the offensive side of the ball. During the last three contests of the regular season when he saw around 20 minutes per game, Koufos averaged 14 points and seven rebounds per game on 72 percent shooting from the floor. Unfortunately this small sample size likely wont’ persuade #NBArank voters that Koufos deserves to be placed higher, and that’s probably how it should be. Though his on-court production might see an upswing in the future, right now Koufos is still largely unproven.

Conclusion: Just right (for the national audience), too low (for Nuggets fans)

No. 332: Gary Forbes

Each individual player — for the most part — has a random Twitter comment next to their ranking, exemplifying — for the most part — the general consensus the outside world has of that specific player. Gary Forbes Twitter attachment comes from @TheAkronHammer, who says, “Obviously this doesn’t take into account his 78-point game in the Hartford Pro-Am.” I would tend to agree, but I’d also add that it doesn’t take into account his excellent performance at the FIBA Americas Championship in which he outperformed many players listed higher on the #NBArank list, along the way to scoring a tournament-high 39 points against Canada. No, Forbes hasn’t seen a heavy dose of minutes while donning a Nuggets jersey, but on the rare occasion he does, Forbes displays a fairly well-rounded and solid overall game. With J.R. Smith now gone, many Nuggets fans, including myself, have been extremely boisterous in their desire to see Forbes re-signed. That alone says a lot about the un-drafted shooting guard from Panama. Just glancing at some of the names ahead of him, such as Keyon Dooling (No. 328), Fabricio Oberto, (No. 327) and Luke Walton (No. 318), it’s obvious he’s ranked a tad too low for my liking, as I’d take him over all three of those guys any day of the week. But again, I can’t complain too much, and for the most part the TrueHoop Network did a solid job of figuring out about where Forbes belongs.

Conclusion: Just right (for the national audience), way too low (for Nuggets fans)

No. 331: Kenneth Faried

Holy Moses, for the sake of all things… well… holy, where in the hell do I start? I’m not sure when Faried was ranked (was it right after the 2011 Draft that ballots were sent in, or what?), because clearly, and I mean CLEARLY, if you’ve been paying ANY attention whatsoever to the countless number of exhibition games played this summer during the lockout, you’d know for a fact that Kenneth Faried was the biggest steal in the Draft, and is without a doubt going to be a stud in the NBA! Sure, that might sound like a total homer proclamation from a fan who’s loved Faried since Day 1 and almost passed out when the Nuggets drafted him, but the facts simply don’t lie. We’ve chronicled Faried’s 2011 Summer Beastmode Tour since he first debuted at the Drew League in L.A., and it’s been nothing short of the most spectacular rookie display of all 60 players taken in the 2011 Draft. Faried has continuously blown away the Twitter Universe with each outing, garnering a myriad of new fans every time he’s stepped onto the court. He’s wowed experts, analysts and even division rival TrueHoop bloggers of the Denver Nuggets, who’ve given him way more credit than they should (joking, joking). He’s, to my knowledge, been the only rookie to make SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays reel, not once, but TWICE, during a summer in which no professionally organized, NBA-sanctioned basketball is being played. So I wonder, how in the world can a guy who’s been this explosive, this relentless, this flat-out impressive, be ranked behind such players as Maurice Evans (No. 320), Kyrylo Fesenko (No. 310) and for God’s sake, Vladimir Radmanovic (No. 315)?!?! I would lend some breathing room to my fellow TrueHoop brotherhood had they ranked all rookies, in general, much lower, but somehow Tristan Thompson (No. 319) and Bismack Biyombo (No. 301) — both of whom have accomplished nothing this summer — are ranked directly ahead of Faried. To summarize: Faried’s ranking is the epitome of the flaws that lie nearly everywhere when trying to rank such a copious amount of NBA talent. There’s simply no way this position justifies just how good Faried already is, and will be in the NBA.

Conclusion: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too low

No. 306: Timofey Mozgov

How Mozgov finds himself ranked above Faried is almost criminal, yet at the same time, justifiable, considering the other players surrounding him. Guys like Kwame Brown (N0. 304) and Mike Bibby (No. 307) are basically in the same category as “The Moz”; the difference, however, between him and many of the players in his realm, is age. Mozgov is young, tall and fairly talented, kind of like the more generic version, and tag-line, of Amare Stoudemire (Standing Tall and Talented). Mozgov still has tons of room for improvement, but has shown flashes of high basketball IQ on a number of occasions. Should Nene flee in free agency after hell freezes over and the NBA lockout concludes, Mozgov will almost certainly move into the starting center role for the Nuggets, unless of course they sign a more established NBA center such as Samuel Dalembert (No. 112). If he can hold his own as a starter, Mozgov will most likely vault to much higher position in next year’s #NBArank, as occupying the starting center position on any NBA team is a position most would deem impressive, and credible.

Conclusion: Just right

No. 168: Al Harrington

Unlike Kosta Koufos and Gary Forbes, I feel the rest of the NBA community has a firm grasp on who Al Harrington is as a player. Surrounded by guys like Boris Diaw (No. 161), Mike Miller (No. 169) and Corey Maggette (No. 162), Al Harrington seems to be right where he belongs: among guys who, at one point in their careers have been unquestionable starters, but now are crossing the void into a more role-player oriented disposition. Big Al can still go out and get you 15 points on any given night, and would even be a solid starter on many NBA teams, but the fact that he has no chance whatsoever of beating out Danilo Gallinari — a career 14 points per game scorer — for the starting small forward gig of the Denver Nuggets says a lot about where he stands at this point in time in his career. At 31, Harrington could go on to have a couple more big years before his career fizzles out, but the odometer is certainly increasing in digits, especially considering how many miles he’s already put on.

Conclusion: Nearly perfect

No. 159: Chris Andersen

At first, No. 159 seemed a bit high for “The Birdman.” Averaging just about five points and five rebounds per game isn’t much; but numbers were never the reason Birdman made it in the NBA to begin with. This guy’s passion for the game, his energy, his explosiveness — are remarkable. I’ve seen Birdman single-handedly win games for the Nuggets (yes, you heard that correctly) and change the entire landscape of the Nuggets in-game mentality with a mighty block. He has the ability to redefine the paradigm of any individual game with his energy alone, especially at home. Though injuries and age have placed a steady draft in front of the Birdman’s path of flight, his wings haven’t been clipped just yet, and I stand by my claim that the Birdman is one of the very best, and most important role players in all of basketball.

Conclusion: Just right

No. 110: J.R. Smith

What is there to say about J.R. that hasn’t already been said 1,000 times before? He’s an enigma, anomaly, prodigy, disappointment, always-has-been, never-will-be, knucklehead and reliable asset all rolled into one. He’s what I love about the NBA, and conversely, what I hate about it. Yet for all the grief J.R. gets, I personally don’t believe he gets enough credit either. You see, in the NBA maybe more than any sport, we’re always waiting, salivating, for some guy to “break out.” Though nearly eight years have passed since J.R. joined the Nuggets, we’re still waiting on him to become that All-Star caliber guy we all know he is. It’s fascinating to be honest with you — the way each and every year Nuggets fans from across the globe predict how this year will be different, how this year J.R. will finally break out of his shell and morph into a consistent scoring machine. But it never happened, and it never will. J.R. is who he is. He’ll always be inconsistent, he’ll always be a knucklehead and he’ll always do things that drive coaches crazy. But this is the NBA, and the year is 2011 — that type of behavior is almost protocol nowadays. So let’s forget about what J.R. isn’t for a moment, and acknowledge what he is: a bench player, and maybe even a starting shooting guard on the right team (remember, J.R. Smith, for all intensive purposes was the starting shooting guard on the 2009 Nuggets squad that made it to the Western Conference Finals) who can go out and put up 20-plus points on any given night… easily. Glancing at the other guards surrounding J.R. in the #NBArank is actually quite interesting. Guys like Aaron Brooks (No. 118), D.J. Augustin (No. 119), Baron Davis (No. 106) and Trevor Ariza (No. 113, not a guard by the way) all have worse field goal percentages than he does, yet none of them obtain the bad wrap for being a “chucker” that J.R. gets, and absolutely none of them are as lethal on the offensive side of the ball either. Even moving into the Top 100 for example, O.J. Mayo (No. 93) averaged not only a worse field goal percentage than J.R. last season, but less points, steals and rebounds, not to mention more turnovers — all in more minutes time. I’m not necessarily saying that J.R. is a better player than Mayo, rather, just pointing out the facts. In summary: J.R. lives under a double-standard because of his character. He’s wild, he’s irresponsible, he’s had his fair share of run-ins with the law off the court, but the fact is, he’s just as talented and gifted as almost anybody on it.

Conclusion: Just about right, but can vary depending on the day

No. 102: Kenyon Martin

Again, just as is the case with J.R., I feel K-Mart is a guy who’s value takes a hit due to his image. I really don’t think people understand the kind of impact this guy has on the court when fully healthy. He’s as mean, and intimidating of a players as you will ever find in the NBA, and can transform any given team’s fortitude simply with his presence alone. I don’t care what anybody says, Kenyon Martin’s one-on-one defense is some of the best in the entire NBA, and quite possibly the best of any power forward — Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett included. I mentioned the role J.R. played on that 2009 Western Conference Finals team, but if you want to know the real reason the Nuggets were so tough to beat, look no further than Kenyon Martin. It’s really too bad K-Mart decided to sign in China this past month, as he would have made an excellent addition to a title-contending team this season, and still could in time for the Playoffs, I guess. The bottom line: There are a lot of players around K-Mart in the #NBArank that you could place on a title contender such as the Heat, and none would have the impact K-Mart would. I’m sorry, but there’s no way I’d take J.J. Barea (No. 92) or Roy Hibbert (No. 96) over K-Mart, even at this point in his career. No way.

Conclusion: Too low

Stay tuned, as we’ll reveal our analysis for the Denver Nuggets who managed to crack the Top 100 of ESPN’s #NBArank in Part 2 of this series.